Central Union Mission News; Convention Center Hotel Suit Dismissed

A couple of somewhat significant developments around the city that could have a significant impact on the Logan and Shaw neighborhoods:

First, those following the ongoing drama with the Gales School/Central Union Mission situation may be interested to learn that the District recently wrapped up its competitive RFP (Request For Proposal) process for the redevelopment of the school. I won't rehash all of the history of that building here (see my earlier post for that recap), but this does represent an important development in determining whether or not the Central Union Mission, currently located at 14th and R streets, will be able to relocate to the Gales School location.

The March 26 deadline represented the third such deadline in the process. The original deadline of February 16 was challenged by the ACLU, which contended that it was an "unreasonably short" timeframe designed to give an advantage to the respondent--the Mission--whom is believed to be the District's preference for taking over the property and renovating in order to operate a homeless shelter.

Ultimately, the District received three bids for the property, and aside from the Mission it is not known who the other two bidders are. A decision is expected within the coming 4-5 weeks. Should the Mission be selected as the winner, it will be up to them to raise the necessary capital to renovate the property and build a 5,000 sf addition it wants to add for classrooms and other services.

The project was initially challenged by the ACLU as an illegal government subsidy to a religious organization (the Mission, which is a Christian institution, requires shelter residents to attend a religious service before being given a bed, counseling, and other services.

Should the Mission be successful in its endeavor to relocate, it would pave the way for the redevelopment of the building into a mixed-use residential/retail structure. Such a move, coupled with the anticipated condo project across the street, would go a long ways towards transforming the somewhat-dilapidated 14th and R street intersection.

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One other big piece of news to pass along, relevant more for those in the Shaw/Mt. Vernon Square area:

A major step was taken towards the groundbreaking of the proposed Marriott Marquis Convention Center Hotel last week, when a judge dismissed developer JBG's lawsuit against the District over the awarding the Convention Center hotel development to Marriott.

The situation was an interesting one: late last year, JBG sued the city, claiming that the process used to select Marriott as the developer of the site was illegal. However, in February, the District countersued JGB, claiming interference and alleging that JBG's suit was little more than an attempt to gain leverage regarding another one of JBG's properties--Washington Marriott Wardman Park--since JBG had not even submitted an RFP for the development of the hotel site.

Although it's not clear whether JBG will appeal the dismissal, this does move the project one step closer to groundbreaking. When completed, the 1,167 room Marriott Marquis will offer the District a premier hotel for the Convention Center, as well as a host of amenities including several new restaurant locations, retail, and ballroom and meeting space.

Marriott Set to Transform 9th St.

First of all, apologies for not getting this recap up sooner...sometimes work just gets in the way.

This past Monday evening, representatives from Marriott were in attendance at the Washington Convention Center to discuss one of the most important projects to come to the Shaw/Logan/Mt. Vernon Sq. region in years:  the development of the Marriott Marquis Convention Center hotel.  The hotel, which is tentatively set to begin construction in June of 2009, will feature nearly 1200 rooms, four restaurants, a coffee shop, and other street level retail.  In our opinion, coupled with the forthcoming O St. market project, it will lead the transformation of 9th St. into one of the city's core commercial corridors.

Unfortunately, there are no images to share of the hotel, but I can boil down a few of the "talking points" that were discussed at the meeting.  

• The Marriott Marquis hotel will be build on the parcel of land bordered by 9th St., Massachusetts Ave, 10th St. and L St.  The facade of the American Federation of Labor Building, currently fronting 9th St., will be incorporated into the structure.
• Marriott also has ownership of the tract of and bordered by 9th St., L St., 10th St. and M St., and will construct two additional "boutique" hotels on the site.  Those hotels will integrate the existing historical structures along 9th and L streets into the facade, and will also feature street level retail.  Details about the "boutique" hotels will not be known until all details surrounding the Marquis flagship hotel are finalized.
• The Marquis will feature an abundance of street level retail.  The corner of 9th and L will see the arrival of a "sports bar" (despite its name, Marriott officials were quick to say that the bar would not necessarily be a "sports themed" establishment, but rather would be a "high energy" bar-type establishment).  A coffee shop will be feaured along 9th St., as will other yet-to-be-determined retail options.  An upscale restaurant with outdoor seating will be located at the corner of 9th and Mass, and a "boutique" restaurant (the "hip" restaurant, according to Marriott execs--guess the other restaurant will be stodgy and boring?) will be Located at Mass and 10th streets.
• In addition, the hotel will feature a full service restaurant located entirely within the premises of the hotel.
• The hotel will feature floors dug as much as 75 feet below the ground, and will include 13 above-ground floors.
• The Marquis will feature a 30,000 sq. ft. ballroom and a significant amount of meeting space, and will be connected via underground walkway to the Convention Center.
• A special cut-out for a bus depot for large groups will be included along L St.
• The Marquis has an anticipated construction start date of June 2009, and will wrap up by 2012.  No dates were given for the other boutique hotel developments. 

The reaction by the public seemed substantially positive, at least if the lack of substantive questions at the event are any indication.  One woman indicated that buses loading/unloading along L St. would be a "non-starter" for her (though I'm sure she'd be more than willing to muck up 9th St. traffic by moving the bus bay there).  The president of the Whitman resident's association was in attendance and expressed concern over the upkeep of the currently abandoned properties along 9th St. and L St. that will eventually become part of the two boutique hotels.  Marriott officials responded by stating that while they are taking some pains to secure the properties, since construction on the premises has not yet begun they could not guarantee the security of the abandoned properties.  Finally, one individual in attendance who noted that he himself was an architect asked numerous questions about the construction of the hotel, including gripping questions about the tpe of glass being used in the windows of the building.

Marriott officials promised to provide additional (and more complete) information once the plans became more substantive.

As I mentioned earlier, I think this project has the opportunity to be the boon for the Shaw/Mt. Vernon area that the Convention Center has not. As part of the ongoing revitalization of the 9th St. corridor, including the redevelopment of the O St. market, the opportunities presented to the neighborhood as part of this project will be substantial, and could literally help transform the neighborhood into something we wouldn't recognize today.  As we get any additional information about the development of the Marriott Marquis, we'll post it here. 

Please feel free to share your thoughts/concerns about the project in the comments section below.